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Friday, 23 January 2015

Ahead of Obama visit, MSF cautions India of US pressure against India’s patent law

Ahead of US President Obama’s visit to India, the international medical
humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has expressed
deep concern over the US government’s heightened efforts to undermine
access to affordable medicines from India.

The US has been
scaling up pressure on India and increasing visits to the country over
the last several months in order to aggressively campaign against
India’s patent law. The country’s law sets a high bar for what merits a
patent in an effort to prevent abusive pharmaceutical patenting
practices, such as ‘evergreening,’ which put profit over public health
by blocking production of more affordable generics. The US is pushing
for India to adopt intellectual property (IP) measures similar to those
common in the US and EU, which would ultimately result in unaffordable
medicine prices for both India and the countries that rely on affordable
medicines made in India.

“The US is pushing India to play by
its rules on intellectual property, which we know will lead to medicines
being priced out of reach for millions of people,” said Dr. Manica
Balasegaram, executive director of MSF’s Access Campaign.

US
pressure already appears to be having an impact as the new Indian
government has been delaying a decision to allow generic production of
an exorbitantly-priced patented anti-cancer medicine that is
unaffordable in the country—an action recommended by a Health Ministry
expert committee to increase access to affordable versions.

Also
in response to US pressure, the Indian Commerce Minister in November
last year set up a high-level ‘think tank’ to draft national IP policy.
First draft of the policy recently released is alarming. The draft
emphasises patent monopolies as the key driver of innovation, when such
claims have been refuted by numerous studies, and experts at the World
Health Organization, which have found IP in fact to be a barrier to both
access to affordable medicines, and innovation for medicines
desperately needed by developing countries for diseases such as TB.

“We
need the Indian government to pay very careful attention to what the US
is up to right now,” said Rohit Malpani, Director of Policy and
Analysis of MSF’s Access Campaign. “India has been a leader in
promoting access to affordable medicines and new innovation models, but
this could all unravel very fast if the Indian government caves into US
pressure. The think tank so far seems to be singing to Big Pharma’s tune
of undermining global efforts to finally overhaul today’s system of how
medicines are developed and priced.”

At the same time, the
Obama visit comes in the wake of a critical decision by India’s Patent
Controller to deny a patent to pharma company Gilead for the hepatitis C
drug sofosbuvir—an example of how important India’s law is to
encouraging price-lowering generic competition. The drug is priced in
the US at US$84,000 for a three-month treatment course ($1,000 per
pill), although studies estimate its production for a three-month course
could be as low as $101 (about $1 per pill). The UK’s National Health
Service is delaying introduction of the drug because of its cost, and
protests have erupted in Spain over the drug’s rationing as a result of
its price.
Source:Pharmabiz

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Post Graduate in Ayurvedic Medicine & Post Graduate Diploma Holder in Yogic Sciences. Started clinical carrier from 1999.Joined various Institutions for teaching Ayurvedic Graduates. Edited many Health magazines and published articles in leading Newspapers.Field of clinical speciality is Panchakarma and Yoga.Founder/ Editor of AYUSH DARPAN(ISSN.09763368/RNI No.2010/33674). Regular writer for Dainik Bhaskar Jeevan Mantra and Blog writer for Navbharat Times and Dainik Jagran.Working for giving benefits of Indian System of Medicine:-Ayurveda,Yoga and its specialty "Panchakarma and Kshar Sutra" to common peoples.Participated in approx. 1000 Medical Health Camps organised in rural areas all over India.Participation in various National and International Seminars/Workshop related with Ayurveda,Yoga,Naturopathy and Modern Medicine. Presentation and publication of various papers in Journals and Magazines.Now working in Kumaoun region of Uttarakhand. Creating awareness for endangered Himalayan Medicinal Herbs by creating Live Videos uploaded in Youtube and shown in the popular sites of Dainik Bhaskar and Navbharattimes. AYUSH DARPAN is promoting as a nonprofitable platform working for these issues.